Hatch Introduces Bill to Fight Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
May 08, 2008 by Eric Ray
(KCPW News) Picking up the fight Utah Congressman Jim Matheson has already started in the House of Representatives, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch is supporting legislation to help battle the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria."Antibiotic resistance is not a new development," says Hatch. "The news is this, infections that were once easily cured with antibiotics are now becoming difficult, and in some cases impossible, to treat."
The Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance, or STAAR Act, establishes a new office in the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on the problem. It also renews a task force charged with studying the problem, and creates an advisory board made up of experts from several government drug and health care agencies. Hatch says the legislation will organize the fight against antibiotic resistance.
"The STAAR Act lays out the framework by which we can begin to take action against this serious public health threat. At a minimum we need better testing, hospital controls, medications, and funding to support these efforts. Particularly the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," says Hatch.
The CDC estimates that antimicrobial resistance was responsible for more than 94,000 infections in 2005, and resulted in more than 18,000 deaths.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. Peter Maier said:
Since EPA never implemented the Clean Water Act, nobody should be surprised when we hear about pharmaceuticals in open water and anti biotic resistant bacteria. Sewage is still solely treated to control odors, but nobody seems to care. The reason a faulty applied pollution test, which caused EPA to ignore nitrogenous (urine and protein) waste. EPA acknowledged the problems with the test in 1984, but in stead of correcting the test it allowed an alternate test and by doing so lowered the goal of the CWA from 100% treatment to a measly 35% treatment, all without even informing members of Congress.
Not that that would have done anything good, as all Utah’s members of Congress (senator Hatch and Congressman Matheson included) have been aware of this without doing anything. Even tough Utah's Science Council already in 1984 recommended correcting this essential test, so we finally will be able to know how sewage treatment plants really operate and what their waste loading is on receiving water bodies. Check out www.petermaier.net if you like to learn more about sewage and how it is tested and treated.
As long as this essential test is not corrected, we only spin our wheels in correcting the water qualities in our rivers and lakes, jeopardizing future drinking water.
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